Sola Scriptura: How Reformers’ Emphasis on Scripture is Mirrored Today

Of all the changes that came about during the Reformation, few compare in impact than the transformation of engagement with the Bible. The transformation can be thought of in three main ways.

John Calvin and the Bible

• First, the Bible became more accessible. Before the Reformation, the Bible was only found in Latin, which was primarily studied by priests. Consequently, most Catholics had to rely on their priest to be their middle man with God. However, after Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, scripture study became something common Christians could take part in. Individuals “could now read the Bible in their own language… with features intended to help a person read and interpret the Bible for themselves." (Museumofthebible.org)

Be ye wary: "You are now in Protestant Teratory"

The picture above depicts graffiti scrawled in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the 1970's. During part of my mission, I spent time in Belfast and its suburbs, areas heavily affected by The Troubles (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles).

While there, I witnessed several instances of street preaching--echoes of the violent religious civil wars turned nonviolent only recently. The sermons often included graphic descriptions of the afterlife, warnings of God's wrath against non-believers, and intense rhetoric and passion. On one occasion, I remember a man saying into a megaphone, "Remember this! The streets of heaven are paved with gold, but the streets of hell are paved with the blood of sinners."